Peter Tredget who was jailed for life after killing 26 people may have his conviction overturned

Serial arsonist Peter Tredget who was jailed for life after admitting killing 26 people including a baby may have his conviction overturned because of police errors made 37 years ago

  • In 1981 Peter Tredget pleaded guilty to 11 counts of arson, he was 19-years-old
  • He also pleaded guilty to 23 counts of manslaughter after the attacks in Hull
  • New evidence could call into question his written confessions from that time 

In 1981 Peter Tredget (above) was sentenced to detention with limit

A serial arsonist who was jailed for life after he admitted killing 26 people could have his conviction overturned because of police errors made 37 years ago. 

Peter Tredget was jailed for life after confessing to a series of arson attacks in Hull, one in which he killed a six-month-old baby.

The attacks occurred in the 1970s and Tredget had pleaded guilty to 11 counts of arson, along with 23 counts of manslaughter.

In 1981 he was sentenced to detention without limit in a secure mental hospital. But after an eight-year inquiry, new evidence has been provided which challenges the truthfulness of his confessions.

According to The Times, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), last week referred the case back to the Court of Appeal.

New evidence could show that police interviews with Tredget were in breach of the guidelines at the time of his arrest.

During an investigation in 1982, Tredget, who had previously changed his named to Bruce Lee, was alleged to have been denied forensic experts to investigate the cases.

Tredget was pictured in 2016 on day release from a secure mental health unit (above)

Tredget was pictured in 2016 on day release from a secure mental health unit (above)

The investigation also revealed that police had neglected evidence and witnesses in favour of the defence.

It claimed that some witnesses had been pressured into changing their evidence.

At the time the officer in charge of the case Detective Chief Superintendent Ronald Sagar, sued The Times for libel after it published the investigation.

Tredget is pictured giving a thumbs up as he left Leeds Crown Court, where he was detained for life under the Mental Health Act in 1981

Tredget is pictured giving a thumbs up as he left Leeds Crown Court, where he was detained for life under the Mental Health Act in 1981

This weekend it was reported that Tredget’s lawyer was ‘delighted by the referral’ and said they were confident that there had been a ‘serious miscarriage of justice’ and that the revelation could take away the ‘blame ascribed to him’ for the deaths of the victims of those fires and that they should no longer ‘be laid at his door’.

Between 1973 and 1979 investigators had first concluded that the fires had started accidentally. Despite this Humberside Police arrested Tredget, aged 19, on suspicion of murder.

Tredget grew up in care homes and had been bullied due to a disability.

He confessed to having started 11 fires, killing the Hastie brothers, the Dickinson brothers and their mother, as well as a six-month-old baby.

Now expert evidence is said to have been obtained which calls into question his written confession.

A previous confession from Tredget had been overturned in 1983 after evidence was found that the blaze in Hessle had been caused by the boiler.

In 2016 Tredget was pictured on day release and this new evidence could be painful for the victims of the families.

MailOnline has contacted the CCRC.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk